Apparatus for manufacturing artificial-stone slabs.



, E. AHRENS. APPARATUS POR MANUFACTURING ARTIFICIAL STONE SLABS.

APPLIOATIONPILED JULY 8, 1911.

1,053,342.l I A .Patented Feb.1'8,1913.

lli

narran s'rArEs PATENT oFFroE.

EMIL AHRENS, or HALLE-oN-THn-SAALE, GERMANY, Assrenon. To surnnron Asians- TOS COMPANY,

Specificationl of Letters Patent.

OE NEW YORK, N. Y., A; CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ARTIFICIAL-STONE SLABS.

' Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

' Application filed July 8, 1911. Seria1.No. 637,42@

To al? 107mm 'it may concern.'

Be it known' that I, EMIL AHRENS, a sub# ject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Halle-on-the-Saale, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Germany,

for Manufacturing Artificial-Stone Slabs; and I' do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appert-ains to make and'use the. same.

This invention relates .to an improved process and apparatus formanufacturing artificial stone, and more particularly of, a design in the form of slabs, and preferably `composed of a miXture'of fibrous-materials and hydraulic binding cements or othersuitable materials in a-plastic condition,

Heretofore in the manufacture of slabs of the character, described,`it has been necessary to employ a mixture vvhich -is sti and which contains a, small percentage of Water or moisture, and therefore, considerable dif- 1 ficulty and waste of time have been experienced in uniformly distributing the mix-V ture Within shaping molds previous to completing the slab.

The object consists in the provision of a simple, practical and efficientapparatus, Wherebyyplas tic material in a soft condition andl capable ofl being readily and'conveniently placed in the forming mold may by the Water or moisture can be advantageously and uniformly forced from the maor .mixture thus formed by the appli-l terial cation of compressed air or inert gas.

Briefly stated, the invention consists in the employment of a sheet of porous and eXible material as a bottom, the pores of which are of suich a nature as to permit only the Water to pass therethrough, a mold of suitable design in the formof aframe adapted to be removably placed upon said material toformthe bottom of the said lmold, a dome shaped hood or cover forming a compressed receiving chamber, thevshape and size of which hood conforms substantially to the shape and size of the forming mold, and isv adapted to be hermetically sealed temporarily to said frame, and means for supplying compressed air to the cham-` ber above the plastic material.

Wah these and other obje ts in view, the

have invented certain new and useful Improvements m Apparatus of this invention therefore,

be employed Wherewhich the apparatus is removably located.

In properly arranging the various parts comprising the invention a sheet of fabric 2, or othersuitable woven fabric is employed, lof, a thickness to properly absorb and release the Water and moisture from the formation to be lsubsequently completed after treatment into a slab capable ofthe various purposes for Which the same is intended.

The fabric sheet 2, forms the bottom for` the mold 3, the latter being in the form of a frame of any ,suitable and desired design, said frame being removably disposed upon the said fabric before the plastic material is deposited Within the same.

Removably secured to the upper surface of the slaby forming frame or mold 3, is a cover or hood, in the form of a convex dome represents a flat platform or base uponv 4, forming acompressed air chamber 5,

above the plastic material to b'e operated upon for removing the Water and moisture therefrom.

. 'Ihe uniting lower edge of the dome 4 is formed to properly rest upon the upper surface of the frame 3, and conform thereto and the parts referred to hermetically and temporarily sealed by pressing it down to Ythe frame'3,in any suitable manner, glue or othery adhesive substance being employed if necessary. '2

Inorder to supply compressed air to the chamber 5, the hood or dome 4 is provided with a nipple 6, in its top to the outer projecting en of ,which a hose orother conductor may beattached' vcommunicating with a 4suitable source of supply of any well known construction.

As clearly shown the hood 4 is'designed in such a shape that the inner concaved surface' thereof terminates adjacent to the surface of the cement or other plastic material confined in the mold 2, `whereby, the conr- .mme and directed to the detachably secured edgesv pressed air vor inert gas is evenly distributed vof thehood of the mold and in direct contactvwith the plastic materialthus confined.

From the foregoin description it will be readily. seen that w en compressed air is supplied to the chamber 5 under a high presmoisture .will be forced terial and throu l ing the bottom of the mold and upon which said forming mold is in contact.

. a Nsuitable manner for After the plastic material has been pro L erly treated in the manner described At e coveror dome 4, is removed from the frame,-

and the frame 3 fromA the bottom2, in any slab.

From the' foregoing description taken inJ connection with the accompanying drawings, the'construction and operation 0f the 'invention will requlring a more extended explanation.

Havlng thus described my inventionr what vI claim as new is Inan 1 apparatus ofthe class described,

the` reassembling of the,l apparatus and the manufacture of another be readily understood without lmpervious to `moisture, Aof a mold comprising a sheet of finely woven fabric rest-4 l the combination with a'flat ,mperforated` base y face of the frame and hermetically sealed v thereto forming a compressed air chamber, the secured edges-of the cover terminating substantially on aline with the plastic'material confined within the frame of the mold, and means for supplying compressed air to said chamber above the slab of pl'asticimaterial and indirect Contact with the latter, whereby .the water and taneously forced through said plastic" material and fabric.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses: y

ALBERTR. MoRAWn'rz, RUDoLrH FRICKE. 1

EMI;d AHRENS. 

